Michael Schmidt is a Canadian dairy farmer who has been convicted of 15 offenses over the sale of unpasteurized milk.

Michael was operating as a cow share, which means that families buy a share of the cow and then the farm divides up the milk. Similar buying clubs have been under fire in the U.S. as well.

Michael is now on a hunger strike, and he is hoping that his protest will start a public debate over food regulation. “We need to sit down and think about what is the role of government in our life,” said Schmidt. “The government allows plenty of other things allowed that are detrimental to our health."